Rainy Day Staircase

The staircase was probably the reason we bought the house. Stepping in the front door made quite the first impression. With one problem. The same problem we have throughout the house: carpet.

A quick peek during the home inspection confirmed two things: 1. The stairs were oak 2. Carpet had been glued down at some point.
Moving into the house, Kayla was convinced that she could have the stairs restored by Christmas 2016.

Other projects moved ahead of this one. July 26 was a rainy day, so Kayla decided to finally have a look at what was under the stairs. Matt insists that all Kayla’s projects begin with him asking if she would like anything from Tim Hortons. With Matt out, Kayla tore up the carpet on the first stair.

Three hours, countless staples and nails, vinegar and scraping later, and the bottom stair was sort of cleaned off.

This project is now 10 hours in, and we are four steps up.

It’s been a bit of trial and error, but we have found that vinegar works the best to remove the carpet glue and foam. We then use alcohol and wire wool to take the rest off. Stripper would work, but that comes with risks and exposure to more chemicals than necessary. In the end, when down to the nitty gritty, clean up is just as much work.